MIAMI (Ticker) -- Making his third appearance in the starting
lineup this season and first since shooting guard Dan Majerle
was placed on the injured list, Voshon Lenard played like he
belonged there.

Lenard scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and knocked
down five 3-pointers as the Heat blew out the Boston Celtics
early and never looked back, coasting to their most lopsided win
of the season, 115-89.

Majerle was placed on the IL 1 1/2 hours before tonight's game
with a stress fracture of his left fibula. He watched from
behind the Heat bench as Lenard and the Heat ran out to a 59-39
halftime lead before stretching the margin to 90-66 entering the
final period.

Lenard was 7-of-11 from the field, 2-of-3 at the line and
commited just one turnover in 29 minutes for Miami, which
improved to 4-3 and posted its first back-to-back wins at
American Airlines Arena.

"I try to do what I can do whether I'm starting or not starting.
It's a joy to just play," Lenard said. "It was a victory we
needed. Tonight we came out and were more focused then in
previous games."

"We jumped on them and stayed on them," Miami coach Pat Riley
added. "It was a very good outing. Somehow we found the
consistency to win back-to-back games."

Alonzo Mourning scored 20 points and Otis Thorpe added a
season-high 17 off the bench for the Heat, who remained tied
with Indiana for the top spot in the Eastern Conference while
extending their lead to one game over second-place New York in
the Atlantic Division.

Rookie Tim James took Majerle's spot on the roster and saw his
first action of the season in garbage time, collecting four
points. Riley was able to get all 12 players in the scoring
column as the Heat handed the Celtics their worst loss of the
season.

"I took the shot like I practiced and although the jitterbugs
were there, I felt good," James said of his first career basket.
"I did not put a lot of pressure on myself. I didn't play long
but was effective."

With second-leading scorer Paul Pierce out with a hamstring
injury, Boston suffered its second straight setback after a
season-high four-game winning streak.

"We are struggling offensively without Paul Pierce and (rookie)
Adrian Griffin," Boston coach Rick Pitino said. "We struggle
because they are a big part of our offense. The Heat obviously
played a great game and we didn't. Our defense was not what it
was expected to win on the road. We have some injuries, however,
you can't use injuries as an excuse for defense."

Antoine Walker scored 28 points for the Celtics, who had won
four of the previous five meetings with the Heat. Boston
slipped to 4-16 on the road.

"Our problem is defensively. If you let a team shoot 60 percent
in the first half there is no way you could win the game," said
Walker. "We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and start
playing defense. On the road it's very difficult to give a team
a 12- or 13-point lead in the first quarter and expect to come
back. It's very difficult. It takes a lot energy and we've got
to play perfectly to get back in the game."

Lenard indicated early that he had no problem with his new role,
drilling a 22-footer on his first shot to give Miami a 10-6 lead
with 8:12 left in the first quarter. He helped extend that lead
to 12 by handing out assists on the Heat's next two baskets.

But it was in the second quarter that Lenard established
himself, scoring nine points and drilling a 3-pointer with 2:33
remaining in the half that stretched the margin to 54-31. He
capped his long-range assault midway through the third period,
sinking a 24-footer that made it 81-55. Lenard left the court
moments later to a rousing ovation from the crowd.

Mark Strickland matched his season high with 12 points off the
bench and Jamal Mashburn added 11 for the Heat, who shot 55
percent (43-of-78), held a 47-36 advantage on the boards and
scored 23 points off turnovers.

Dana Barros equaled his season best with 18 points and Vitaly
Potapenko added 16 for Boston, which shot 40 percent (34-of-85).

"It was nothing that we did offensively," Barros said. "Our
problem was defensively. You can't beat anybody playing terrible
defense."